Rio Ngumoha made a strong impression for Liverpool against Wolverhampton Wanderers , even though he only came on in the 65th minute.
Following Liverpool's 2-1 defeat, there have been plenty of calls for Ngumoha to start in the upcoming FA Cup match on Friday, with Steven Gerrard and Jeremaine Pennant among those voicing their support.
There's a good reason for that. The 17-year-old is currently averaging more chances created per 90 minutes than both Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal this season.
Despite the result and only getting one goal, Liverpool did generate quite a few opportunities against Wolves . Ngumoha, even with limited minutes, was responsible for two of them.
He's now up to 6.3 chances created per 90 in the Premier League this season, which puts him not just at the top of Liverpool's squad, but also among the best across Europe.
Dominik Szoboszlai had four chance creations against Wolves and sits second in Slot's side with a rate of 2.1 per 90—tied with Florian Wirtz (also at 2.1), who missed the match through injury.
What stands out even more is how Ngumoha stacks up when compared to some of Europe's biggest names.
Lamine Yamal leads La Liga in total chances created this season (61), but on a per-90 basis (3.0), he's still well behind Ngumoha.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
With Liverpool's packed schedule, which includes the FA Cup and Champions League, Ngumoha is likely to see more playing time in the coming weeks.
Although Fernandes leads the league in total chances created, Ngumoha's 6.3 chances per 90 minutes still puts him ahead of everyone else, including Fernandes.
The Manchester United midfielder has played far more minutes than Ngumoha this season, so a fairer comparison is their respective output on a per-90 basis.
Liverpool have two cup games against Sunderland and FC Bayern before they play Tottenham Hotspur on March 15th in the Premier League.
Read more:
